US20080152264A1 - Flexible easy-open package with reclosable feature - Google Patents
Flexible easy-open package with reclosable feature Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20080152264A1 US20080152264A1 US11/615,605 US61560506A US2008152264A1 US 20080152264 A1 US20080152264 A1 US 20080152264A1 US 61560506 A US61560506 A US 61560506A US 2008152264 A1 US2008152264 A1 US 2008152264A1
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- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- package
- seal
- pair
- panels
- strip
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D75/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
- B65D75/52—Details
- B65D75/58—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture
- B65D75/5805—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture for tearing a side strip parallel and next to the edge, e.g. by means of a line of weakness
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B61/00—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages
- B65B61/18—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages for making package-opening or unpacking elements
- B65B61/182—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages for making package-opening or unpacking elements by applying tear-strips or tear-tapes
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B61/00—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages
- B65B61/18—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages for making package-opening or unpacking elements
- B65B61/188—Auxiliary devices, not otherwise provided for, for operating on sheets, blanks, webs, binding material, containers or packages for making package-opening or unpacking elements by applying or incorporating profile-strips, e.g. for reclosable bags
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B9/00—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, e.g. liquids or semiliquids, in flat, folded, or tubular webs of flexible sheet material; Subdividing filled flexible tubes to form packages
- B65B9/06—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, in a longitudinally-folded web, or in a web folded into a tube about the articles or quantities of material placed upon it
- B65B9/067—Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, in a longitudinally-folded web, or in a web folded into a tube about the articles or quantities of material placed upon it the web advancing continuously
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D33/00—Details of, or accessories for, sacks or bags
- B65D33/16—End- or aperture-closing arrangements or devices
- B65D33/18—End- or aperture-closing arrangements or devices using adhesive applied to integral parts, e.g. to flaps
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D75/00—Packages comprising articles or materials partially or wholly enclosed in strips, sheets, blanks, tubes, or webs of flexible sheet material, e.g. in folded wrappers
- B65D75/52—Details
- B65D75/58—Opening or contents-removing devices added or incorporated during package manufacture
- B65D75/5855—Peelable seals
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B2220/00—Specific aspects of the packaging operation
- B65B2220/10—Creating an off-center longitudinal seal on horizontal or vertical form fill seal [FFS] machines
Definitions
- This disclosure relates generally to flexible food packaging, and more specifically to easy to open flexible food packages with reclosable features.
- One way of packaging food products is for the packaging to be constructed from a single web of material which wraps around the food product to be packaged and is sealed around it.
- the ends of the web of film are brought together about the food product to make a longitudinal fin seal, which consists of sealing together the two ends of the same web of film and leaving a flap, or fin, along the center length of the package.
- Two transverse end seals seal the food product within the package.
- Fin-seal packages often include an opening feature.
- Common opening features are tear strips which can be pulled to tear apart the package material at the top leaving exposed an opening.
- tear strips which can be pulled to tear apart the package material at the top leaving exposed an opening.
- packages containing only the tear strip typically do not provide a way to reclose the bag and if there is any unused product left inside of the bag it can either dry out or spoil, or additional storage containers may be found.
- a peelable seal such as a peelable fin seal.
- a peelable fin seal For example, two layers of the same web material can be peeled apart at the fin seal to gain access to the food product in the interior of the package.
- the fin seal must be made very durable such that it can securely hold the two fin layers together during shipping and storage of the package. If the same durable seal is also used as an opening means it may be difficult for the user to pull apart to open it.
- the fin seal is made such that it is easy to open, then it will not be durable enough to function as a hermetic seal. Furthermore, trying to grasp the two thin layers of the fin seal with fingers and then peeling them apart may not be very easy to accomplish. Also, once the peel seal of the fins is separated it is not easy to reclose.
- a reclosable feature is a zipper which can be used to both open the bag and serve as a reclosing device.
- a zipper may also have a peel seal just above or below the zipper and/or a tear strip for opening.
- An additional feature of the zipper opener is to provide a resealing or reclosing device once the package has been opened such that the food product inside the package can be stored in the package and later reused.
- Zipper closures are mounted to the inside panels of the package and can involve an intensive assembly process. Where the zipper is mounted to the package, extra packaging film must be used. Also, it can be difficult to properly seal the package ends due to the thicker material of the zipper, thus leading to possible leaks in the package and improperly sealed package interiors. Zippers can disadvantageously limit access to the product because the size of the opening to the package interior becomes restricted due to the zipper requiring more of the side edge material around the opening to seal the zipper to the bag.
- reclosable systems may utilize an adhesive to which a flap of the bag layer folds down over the top opening of the package and attaches to an adhesive strip.
- This has been incorporated with the peelable fin seal, described above, such that one of the layers of the fin seal is longer in length than the other, thus creating a foldover flap, as described in PCT Publication No. WO 01/10736 published Feb. 15, 2001.
- This foldover flap folds down over the opening and attaches to the adhesive.
- Another example of a reclosable system utilizing adhesive is a package that has a tear off feature, where a single web layer is folded at the top of the package to create two panels with a fold seam at the top having score lines that are at different heights, as described in PCT Publication No.
- WO 2005/005275 published Jan. 20, 2005.
- the top folded layer tears in a non-linear manner, thus opening the package and creating two flaps of differing lengths where one is longer than the other and can be used as a foldover flap.
- This foldover flap is used as a reclosure by folding it over the top opening and securing it to an adhesive on the package, similar to the package described above.
- This reclosure system requires that the package material be a single web and that the fold be located at the top seam, which is torn off at the score lines when the package is opened.
- a reclosable, flexible package for storing food products, and methods of manufacture of the package are disclosed herein.
- the package comprises a pair of opposing panels connected via a bottom seal and each having a flange opposite the bottom seal, and a pair of end seals formed between the opposing panels and intersecting the bottom seal.
- a pleat is located in one of the panels opposite the bottom seal, which is openable to permit initial access to the interior of the package.
- a flange seal is formed between the flanges and is spaced from the pleat, with one of the flanges extending beyond the flange seal and forming a reclosure flap.
- the reclosure flap is removably secured to one of the panels by an adhesion surface that is provided on either a panel or the reclosure flap, to cover the opening in the package.
- the pleat includes a tear strip which is removable to create an opening in the package.
- the package comprises a top seal, which is the flange seal formed between the flanges and where the flange seal is positioned at an outer edge of the flanges.
- the flanges contain tear lines, with one flange having a substantially linear tear line and the other a non-linear tear line.
- the tear lines are both positioned between the bottom seal and the top seal, and extending between the pair of side seals, with the non-linear tear line having an end portion adjacent each of the side seals and a central portion spaced further from the bottom seal of the package than the end portion.
- the reclosure flap is formed in the flange or panel containing the non-linear tear line after the top seal is torn off of the package along the linear and non-linear tear lines to gain initial access to the interior of the package, and thus creating the opening. Additionally, the adhesion surface used to secure the reclosure flap to a panel of the package can be covered by a temporary tape cover that is removable after the first use of the package. Once the tape cover is removed it exposes the adhesion surface and allows attachment of the reclosure flap to the front panel.
- the package is convertible between an unopened configuration and a reclosed configuration, where a pleat is located in one of the panels opposite the bottom seal in the unopened configuration, and the pleat is opened in the reclosed configuration and the opened pleat permits access to the interior of the package.
- the flange seal between the flanges is spaced from the pleat.
- a reclosure flap is formed by at least one of the flanges extending beyond the flange seal.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a reclosable package prior to use
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the reclosable package of FIG. 1 after the flange is opened;
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the reclosable package of FIG. 1 after opening the package and after removal of the tear strip;
- FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the reclosable package of FIG. 1 after the package is reclosed;
- FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package of FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package of FIG. 3 ;
- FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package of FIG. 4 ;
- FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a reclosable package prior to use.
- FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the reclosable package of FIG. 9 after the flange is unfolded;
- FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the reclosable package of FIG. 9 after opening the package and after removal of the tear strip;
- FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the reclosable package of FIG. 9 after the package is reclosed;
- FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package of FIG. 9 ;
- FIG. 14 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package of FIG. 10 ;
- FIG. 15 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package of FIG. 11 ;
- FIG. 16 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package of FIG. 12 ;
- FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a process line used in the manufacture of reclosable packages.
- FIG. 18 is a side cross-sectional view of the process line of FIG. 17 detailing an optional tape and/or zipper application station;
- FIG. 19 is a schematic view showing a fin sealer station comprising heaters
- FIG. 20 is a schematic view showing another section of a fin sealer station of comprising rollers
- FIG. 21 is a plan view of a web material used in another embodiment of a reclosable package.
- FIG. 22 is a front plan view of the reclosable package made with the web material of FIG. 21 ;
- FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the reclosable package of FIG. 22 prior to use
- FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the reclosable package of FIG. 22 while opening the package;
- FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the reclosable package of FIG. 22 after opening the package;
- FIG. 26 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package of FIG. 23 ;
- FIG. 27 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package of FIG. 23 after unfolding the reclosure flap but before opening;
- FIG. 28 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package of FIG. 25 ;
- FIG. 29 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package of FIG. 25 after the package is reclosed.
- a reclosable easy-open flexible package and in particular a reclosable easy-open flexible package used for packaging cheese, meats, candy and other solid foods, and methods of manufacture, are disclosed herein and illustrated in FIGS. 1-29 .
- the reclosable, flexible package has an easy-open tear strip for gaining access to the interior of the package, with an adhesive surface provided for resealing a reclosable flap to the package.
- the reclosable, flexible package may be made from a single web of film or from two layers sealed together; typically a single web of film is used and may be wrapped around the food product to be packaged where the side edges of the film are brought together and sealed at the top end of the package. After the side edges are brought together and sealed to each other, an excess flap of film may remain on the package.
- This flap of film, or fin may preferably be located on the top of the package and instead of running along the center length of the package, the fin may run along the top length of the package along a lengthwise edge of the package.
- the fin, or the excess flap of film may be sealed together with a durable seal, such as a heat seal.
- a durable fin seal may be desired for hermetically sealing the package and usually the package will not be separated at the fin seal.
- the two flaps of film may be of different lengths, such that one flap is longer than the other. This may be done by offsetting the edges of the web slightly when the edges are brought together after being wrapped around the product where the outer edge of one extends beyond the outer edge of the other, instead of matching them up exactly.
- the fin seal is not positioned at the ends of both edges of film but rather at the edge of one and at an inner point of the other (i.e., spaced some distance away from the edge).
- One of the web panels may contain a tear strip feature that allows for entry into the package interior. As the tear strip is removed, it creates an opening in the package. The fin seal between the two fin flaps is not disturbed during the opening of the package and remains intact The longer portion of the fin flap may be used as a reclosable flap, as will be discussed in detail herein, to cover the package opening and may be held in place by an adhesive surface.
- FIGS. 1-8 comprises a flexible package 10 with a pair of opposing panels, a front wall 14 and a back wall 16 .
- the opposing panels 14 and 16 may be connected via a bottom seal and/or a fold made in the web of film at a bottom end after it is wrapped around the product 12 .
- Opposite the bottom seal or fold may be a pair of flanges 18 and 20 , each located in one of the opposing panels 14 and 16 .
- a pair of side seals, or end seals may also be formed between the opposing panels 14 and 16 where each side seal intersects the bottom seal to bound at least a portion of a package interior.
- the front wall 14 and the back wall 16 may each have outer edges that may be brought together and sealed, such as with a flange or fin seal, to form the flanges 18 and 20 ; the front wall flange 18 may be a continuation of the front wall 14 and the back wall flange 20 may be a continuation of the back wall 16 .
- the fin, or flanges 18 and 20 may be folded over the top portion of the package 10 and pre-bonded to the package 10 prior to initial use, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 .
- the front wall flange 18 may be folded over the top portion of the package 10 to cover a pleat, or front wall pinch seal 22 , that may contain a tear strip 22 c for opening the package 10 .
- the front wall flange 18 may be secured in place by an adhesive strip 24 until its initial use.
- the adhesive strip 24 may be positioned on either a wall panel or a reclosure flap, or both.
- the front wall flange 18 may extend beyond the back wall flange 20 , and in effect beyond the flange seal, or fin seal, thus creating a reclosure flap using the front wall flange 18 .
- the intersection of the back wall flange 20 and the front wall flange 18 at the fin seal may be along the same plane as the back wall 16 . Therefore, the front wall 14 extends over the top portion of the package 10 until it intersects with the back wall flange 20 and is sealed to the back wall flange 20 via the fin seal in the plane of the back wall 16 , thus forming the front wall flange 18 .
- a front wall pinch seal 22 may be positioned at about the center of the top portion of the package 10 or any other convenient location, and may function as a tear strip 22 c used to open the package 10 , as seen in FIGS. 2 and 6 .
- the front wall pinch seal 22 may typically be a part of the front wall 14 and may be positioned on the top portion of the package 10 spaced from the fin seal that joins the flanges 18 and 20 together.
- the front wall pinch seal 22 may have a front panel 22 b and a back panel 22 a , with a center tear line 26 positioned at the middle of the front wall pinch seal 22 and indicating the tear area where the front panel 22 b may be separated from the back panel 22 a .
- a tear strip 22 c along the center of the front wall pinch seal 22 , and between the front panel 22 b and back panel 22 a , may be removed by pulling it across the top of the front wall pinch seal 22 along the tear line 26 , see FIG. 2 .
- the tear strip 22 c may be spaced at least about 0.25 inches above the food product 12 inside, and preferably is spaced from about 0.25 inches to about 1.50 inches above the food product 12 .
- As the tear strip 22 c is pulled across the tear line 26 it separates the back panel 22 a of the pinch seal from the front panel 22 b of the pinch seal and creates an opening 30 in the top of the package 10 to gain initial access to the interior of the package 10 .
- the opening 30 may be bound by a perimeter formed by the outer edges of the back panel 22 a and the front panel 22 b . Also, after the tear strip 22 c is opened, the front wall flange 18 is typically only connected to the package at the fin seal; removing the tear strip separates the front wall flange 18 from the front wall 14 portion of the package 10 .
- An adhesion surface may be provided on one of the opposing wall panels 14 and 16 or on the reclosure flap or both, to removably secure the reclosure flap to a panel.
- the adhesion surface may comprise an adhesive strip 24 located along the front wall 14 of the package 10 , and preferably oriented in a horizontal line across the front wall 14 , but may be in any convenient orientation.
- the adhesive strip 24 may comprise double-faced tape where one side of the adhesive strip 24 contains a first adhesive to create a permanent attachment and the opposite side of the strip contains a second adhesive, typically for creating a removable attachment.
- an adhesive stripe may be coated onto the film, or any other similar adhesion surface may be used.
- the front wall flange 18 may be pre-bonded to the adhesive strip 24 , as seen in FIGS. 1 and 5 , prior to its initial use. Once the package 10 is to be opened, the front wall flange 18 may be removed from the adhesive strip 24 by lifting to expose the tear strip 22 c and the adhesive strip 24 surface.
- the package 10 After opening the package 10 , it may be desired to reclose the package 10 and store the food product 12 therein. This may be done by re-folding the front wall flange 18 , or reclosure flap, across the top portion of the package 10 to cover the opening 30 and to secure the flap by affixing it to the adhesive strip 24 positioned along the front wall panel 14 , as shown in FIGS. 4 and 8 , similar to how the front wall flange 18 was pre-bonded to the adhesive strip 24 before use.
- the opposite configuration of the flanges 18 and 20 may be applied.
- the back wall flange 20 may extend past the front wall flange 18 and the back wall flange 20 may serve as the reclosable flap. All of the other descriptions would remain the same, and the pinch seal would still be located in the front wall panel at the top of the package 10 .
- FIGS. 9-16 Another embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9-16 , consists of a flexible package 40 , where the fin flanges 48 and 50 may be pre-bonded to the back wall 46 during storage and prior to initial use.
- the back wall flange 50 may be the longer of the two flanges 48 and 50 and may function as the reclosure flap; however the opposite configuration may also be possible.
- the back wall flange 50 , or reclosure flap may be secured in place to the back wall 46 until the first use by an adhesive patch 54 located along the back wall 46 , as shown in FIGS. 9 and 13 , or alternatively, on an outer side of the reclosure flap.
- the adhesive patch 54 may be any convenient shape or configuration as long as it is adequate for securing the back wall flange 50 to the package 40 until initial use.
- the front wall flange 48 may be the shorter of the two flanges 48 and 50 and typically is not long enough to also fold down the back wall 46 along with the back wall flange 50 .
- the front wall flange 46 may be sealed to the back wall flange 50 at or near the outer edge of the front wall flange 46
- the back wall flange 50 may be sealed to it at a point spaced some distance away from the outer edge of the back wall flange 50 .
- the front wall pinch seal 52 may be similar to the front wall pinch seal 22 of the previous embodiment.
- the front wall pinch seal 52 shown in FIGS. 10 and 14 , may be similarly located in the top portion of the front wall panel 44 , spaced from the fin seal and the edge of the front wall flange 48 .
- the front wall pinch seal 52 also may have a back panel 52 a of the pinch seal and a front panel 52 b of the pinch seal with a center tear line 56 positioned at the midpoint of the two panels 52 a and 52 b and indicating the tear area where the front panel 52 b may be separated from the back panel 52 a .
- a tear strip 52 c may be located along the center of the front wall pinch seal 52 and between the front and back panels 52 a and 52 b .
- the tear strip 52 c may be removed by pulling it across the top of the front wall pinch seal 52 to create an opening 60 in the package, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 15 .
- the tear strip 52 c may be spaced at least about 0.25 inches above the food product 42 , and preferably is spaced from about 0.25 inches to about 1.50 inches above the food product 42 .
- the back wall flange 50 may fold across the top portion of the package 40 to cover the opening 60 , and may be secured in place to the front wall 44 by an adhesive strip 58 positioned along the front wall 44 of the package 40 , or alternatively, along an inner side of the reclosure flap.
- the adhesive strip 58 may be either a tape or coating, as described in the previous embodiment, or any other similar adhesion surface.
- a temporary tape cover 62 may be placed over the adhesive strip 58 to protect the adhesive strip 58 from losing its adhesion strength prior to use.
- the tape cover 62 may be removed after the first use of the package 40 to expose the adhesive strip 58 and to allow attachment of the back wall flange 50 , or reclosure flap, to the front panel 44 .
- FIGS. 21-29 Another embodiment of a flexible package 70 is illustrated in FIGS. 21-29 , and may contain front and back wall flanges 78 and 80 where each is a part of one of the pair of opposing panels 74 and 76 , respectively, and may be positioned in an upright configuration where the fin seal, or top seal, may be located between the flanges 78 and 80 and extending between the pair of side walls, or the package 70 may be in a folded over configuration, as in FIGS. 23 and 26 .
- the flanges 78 and 80 may be folded over the top portion of the package 70 and pre-bonded to the package 70 prior to initial use, as shown in FIGS. 23 and 26 .
- the front wall flange 78 together with the back wall flange 80 may be folded over the top portion of the package 70 to cover the top portion of the package 70 and may be secured in place by an adhesive strip 96 until its initial use.
- the adhesive strip 96 may be positioned on either a wall panel or a reclosure flap, or both. This design can eliminate the need for a tape cover to protect the adhesive strip 96 since the flange/reclosure flap is placed over the adhesive strip 96 before use.
- the front wall flange 78 and back wall flange 80 may be about equally aligned and the top seal may be positioned at an outer edge of the flanges 78 and 80 , as shown in FIGS. 22 and 27 .
- the tear strip may be incorporated into the flanges 78 and 80 , at a distance below their top edges, such that when the tear strip is torn away it tears away a portion of the flanges 78 and 80 and the top seal with it to gain initial access to the interior of the package 70 and to create an opening 94 .
- the flanges 78 and 80 each may contain a tear line across the flanges 78 and 80 in a lengthwise direction between the side walls and at a distance below the top edge, where the tear lines predetermine the tear area when opening the package 70 .
- the tear lines 88 and 90 along the flanges 78 and 80 may be located in different positions depending on the flange it is located on.
- the front tear line 88 may be located on the front wall flange 78 and may be a substantially linear tear line extending between the pair of side walls and positioned between the bottom and top seal, as shown in FIG. 22 , and may be at a lower elevation than the back tear line 90 .
- the back tear line 90 may be located on the back wall flange 80 and may be a non-linear line, or curve, as can be seen in FIG. 22 viewed from the back wall flange 80 , and also extending between the pair of side seals and positioned between the bottom and top seals.
- the majority of the back tear line 90 is positioned at a higher elevation than the front tear line 88 such that the back tear line 90 has an end portion adjacent each of the side seals and a central portion spaced further from the bottom seal of the package than the end portions.
- the back tear line 90 may partially overlap the front tear line 88 at a position adjacent the side seals.
- the back tear line 90 begins at a position just below the front tear line 88 , and may then slope upwards towards the top of the fin seal and may become linear until it reaches the opposite side seal where it may slope downward, intersecting the other side of the front tear line 88 and ending at a point just below it.
- a flat film 68 used to create this type of package is shown in FIG. 21 , with tear lines scored into the flat film 68 to enable a continuous packaging process.
- the film 68 may wrap around the product such that the back tear line 90 partially overlaps the front tear line 88 as the film 68 is folded up around the product and the outer edges are aligned.
- the back tear line 90 is scored into the flat film 68 as a continuous line such that there is a series of peaks and valleys scored across the film 68 for packaging a series of products one after the other. Therefore, the back tear line 90 is etched into the film 68 as a series of peaks and valleys where from the midpoint of one of the valleys to the midpoint of the next defines the length of a single package 70 .
- the user may tear along the tear lines 88 and 90 starting at an edge of the package 70 which may contain a tear notch.
- the tear lines 88 and 90 both may originate from this same tear notch at a tear initiation point.
- a removable shroud 82 containing a portion of the back wall flange 80 and a portion of the front wall flange 78 may be torn off in a predictable pattern following the tear lines 88 and 90 , as shown in FIGS. 24 and 28 .
- an opening 94 may be revealed with access provided to the interior of the flexible package 70 , as shown in FIG. 25 .
- the flanges 78 and 80 may be at different heights due to the different elevational placement of the tear lines 88 and 90 .
- the back wall flange 80 may extend past the front wall flange 78 due to the way the tear lines 88 and 90 are positioned (i.e., the back wall flange 80 contains the non-linear tear line positioned at a higher elevation than the linear tear line of the front wall flange 78 ), thus creating a reclosure flap out of the back wall flange 80 when the removable shroud 82 is torn off.
- the removable shroud 82 may contain a portion of the fin seal, where the flanges 78 and 80 were sealed together, and the removable shroud 82 may have a back shroud wall 86 that may be a shorter length than a front shroud wall 84 , as shown in FIG. 28 .
- the back wall flange 80 may be used to cover the opening 94 by folding it across the top portion of the package 70 and over the opening 94 .
- An adhesive strip 96 on the front wall 74 may be used to secure the back wall flange 80 , or reclosure flap, to the front wall 74 upon contact, or alternatively, the adhesive strip 96 may be along an inner surface of the reclosure flap.
- the adhesive strip 96 may be a tape, a coating, or any other similar adhesion surface.
- the back wall flange 80 is folded down over the opening 94 , it becomes the outermost top surface of the package and the front wall flange 78 is located underneath it, along the inside of the back wall flange 80 and next to the top opening 94 of the package 70 , as seen in FIG. 29 .
- a process equipment line can be used for making the resealable, flexible packages discussed above.
- a packaging machine 100 is shown for making the resealable, flexible packages 118 , as shown in FIG. 17 .
- the equipment 100 may have an infeed conveyor 102 for transporting food 104 in a machine direction to a conveyor for a web of film 108 where it is placed on the film 108 .
- the film 108 may be contained on a film roll 106 and as it unwinds the film 108 is carried along a conveyor that also may advance in a machine direction.
- the film 108 may preferably be fed from beneath the infeed conveyor 102 initially and where it joins the food product 104 it can advance in a machine direction together with the food 104 .
- the two advance together in a machine direction where they pass a forming station 110 , and where a forming plow 112 folds up the longitudinal edges of the film 108 thus wrapping it around the food product 104 so that the food product 104 is encompassed between the film edges.
- the food and folded up film continue to advance in a machine direction between rollers and/or heaters located within the fin sealer section 114 of the machine 100 , which further aids in the folding of the edges of film 108 .
- the loose ends, or opposing longitudinal edge portions, of the film 108 that were folded up may form a fin, which is sealed by the fin sealer section 114 and then continues to advance in a machine direction to an end cutter and transverse sealer section 116 .
- a pair of transverse seals such as end seals, can be made and the packages can be cut apart from the remainder of the web to form the final sealed package 118 .
- the fin seal is to be provided in a folded down orientation, the newly formed fin seal may be folded down to cover an adhesive on the package as it enters the transverse (i.e., end) sealer section 116 .
- An optional conveyor 120 may be used to incorporate a zipper system 122 and/or a tear strip 124 with the web of film 108 prior to advancing through the packaging machine 100 .
- the film 108 may be diverted to the zipper/tear strip station 120 as it unwinds from the film roll 106 and may pass through the equipment 120 to apply the zipper and/or tear strip to the film 108 . After sealing the zipper and/or tear strip to the film 108 , the film 108 is redirected back into the packaging machine 100 .
- FIG. 18 Another embodiment of the packaging machine 100 may include the addition of an adhesive reclose system, as shown in FIG. 18 .
- the adhesive tape is applied to the film to be used with the reclose feature.
- a similar system may also be used to apply the tear strip if desired. It may also be possible to use pre-coated film that already contains an adhesive.
- the adhesive strip may be coated onto the package after it passes through the fin sealer section 114 , as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 .
- the film 108 passes by the forming plow 112 it enters the fin sealer section 114 where the fins or flanges are first sealed and then may subsequently receive an application of adhesive.
- Forming the fin seal comprises two steps, a heat step followed by a seal step.
- the first step, the heat step is shown in FIG. 19 where the film that is wrapped around the food product passes between two radiant heaters 130 .
- the fin seal may be offset from the centerline of the package such that the fin seal and fin flanges are positioned at an outer, or peripheral, edge of the package to form an offset fin flange.
- the offset fin is positioned at the outer edge after it is folded up around the food product 104 and after passing the forming plow 112 .
- the heaters 130 heat the film so that it becomes hot enough to bond together.
- the heaters 130 further do not touch the film as it passes between them, but are positioned close enough to the film that the heaters 130 provide sufficient heat to the film material without touching it.
- the second step comprises passing the film between two crimping wheels 132 and 134 , or rollers, positioned one on each side of the film and provided for sealing the two heated sections of film together by applying pressure to the fin seal flanges so that they are brought into contact to form a fin seal.
- the partially formed package may be coated with an adhesive 144 using a slot die 142 .
- the fin seal is folded over and onto the adhesive section at the end cutter and transverse sealer section 116 , such that the adhesive is not exposed once the package is complete.
- a resealable, flexible package that allows for storing food inside and further provides an easy open package with a reclosable flap that affixes to an adhesive surface of the package to provide for storing of the food product therein.
- the disclosure is not limited to the aspects and embodiments described hereinabove, or to any particular embodiments.
- Various modifications to the resealable, flexible package and methods of assembling can result in substantially the same package.
Abstract
Description
- This disclosure relates generally to flexible food packaging, and more specifically to easy to open flexible food packages with reclosable features.
- One way of packaging food products is for the packaging to be constructed from a single web of material which wraps around the food product to be packaged and is sealed around it. To make this package, the ends of the web of film are brought together about the food product to make a longitudinal fin seal, which consists of sealing together the two ends of the same web of film and leaving a flap, or fin, along the center length of the package. Two transverse end seals seal the food product within the package.
- Fin-seal packages often include an opening feature. Common opening features are tear strips which can be pulled to tear apart the package material at the top leaving exposed an opening. However, such packages containing only the tear strip typically do not provide a way to reclose the bag and if there is any unused product left inside of the bag it can either dry out or spoil, or additional storage containers may be found.
- Another opening feature used is a peelable seal, such as a peelable fin seal. For example, two layers of the same web material can be peeled apart at the fin seal to gain access to the food product in the interior of the package. However, if a hermetically sealed package is required, then the fin seal must be made very durable such that it can securely hold the two fin layers together during shipping and storage of the package. If the same durable seal is also used as an opening means it may be difficult for the user to pull apart to open it. On the other hand, if the fin seal is made such that it is easy to open, then it will not be durable enough to function as a hermetic seal. Furthermore, trying to grasp the two thin layers of the fin seal with fingers and then peeling them apart may not be very easy to accomplish. Also, once the peel seal of the fins is separated it is not easy to reclose.
- A reclosable feature is a zipper which can be used to both open the bag and serve as a reclosing device. A zipper may also have a peel seal just above or below the zipper and/or a tear strip for opening. An additional feature of the zipper opener is to provide a resealing or reclosing device once the package has been opened such that the food product inside the package can be stored in the package and later reused. Zipper closures are mounted to the inside panels of the package and can involve an intensive assembly process. Where the zipper is mounted to the package, extra packaging film must be used. Also, it can be difficult to properly seal the package ends due to the thicker material of the zipper, thus leading to possible leaks in the package and improperly sealed package interiors. Zippers can disadvantageously limit access to the product because the size of the opening to the package interior becomes restricted due to the zipper requiring more of the side edge material around the opening to seal the zipper to the bag.
- Other reclosable systems may utilize an adhesive to which a flap of the bag layer folds down over the top opening of the package and attaches to an adhesive strip. This has been incorporated with the peelable fin seal, described above, such that one of the layers of the fin seal is longer in length than the other, thus creating a foldover flap, as described in PCT Publication No. WO 01/10736 published Feb. 15, 2001. This foldover flap folds down over the opening and attaches to the adhesive. Another example of a reclosable system utilizing adhesive is a package that has a tear off feature, where a single web layer is folded at the top of the package to create two panels with a fold seam at the top having score lines that are at different heights, as described in PCT Publication No. WO 2005/005275 published Jan. 20, 2005. When the top folded layer is torn off at the score lines it tears in a non-linear manner, thus opening the package and creating two flaps of differing lengths where one is longer than the other and can be used as a foldover flap. This foldover flap is used as a reclosure by folding it over the top opening and securing it to an adhesive on the package, similar to the package described above. This reclosure system requires that the package material be a single web and that the fold be located at the top seam, which is torn off at the score lines when the package is opened.
- A reclosable, flexible package for storing food products, and methods of manufacture of the package, are disclosed herein. The package comprises a pair of opposing panels connected via a bottom seal and each having a flange opposite the bottom seal, and a pair of end seals formed between the opposing panels and intersecting the bottom seal. A pleat is located in one of the panels opposite the bottom seal, which is openable to permit initial access to the interior of the package. A flange seal is formed between the flanges and is spaced from the pleat, with one of the flanges extending beyond the flange seal and forming a reclosure flap. The reclosure flap is removably secured to one of the panels by an adhesion surface that is provided on either a panel or the reclosure flap, to cover the opening in the package. In addition, the pleat includes a tear strip which is removable to create an opening in the package.
- In another aspect, the package comprises a top seal, which is the flange seal formed between the flanges and where the flange seal is positioned at an outer edge of the flanges. The flanges contain tear lines, with one flange having a substantially linear tear line and the other a non-linear tear line. The tear lines are both positioned between the bottom seal and the top seal, and extending between the pair of side seals, with the non-linear tear line having an end portion adjacent each of the side seals and a central portion spaced further from the bottom seal of the package than the end portion. The reclosure flap is formed in the flange or panel containing the non-linear tear line after the top seal is torn off of the package along the linear and non-linear tear lines to gain initial access to the interior of the package, and thus creating the opening. Additionally, the adhesion surface used to secure the reclosure flap to a panel of the package can be covered by a temporary tape cover that is removable after the first use of the package. Once the tape cover is removed it exposes the adhesion surface and allows attachment of the reclosure flap to the front panel.
- In still another aspect, the package is convertible between an unopened configuration and a reclosed configuration, where a pleat is located in one of the panels opposite the bottom seal in the unopened configuration, and the pleat is opened in the reclosed configuration and the opened pleat permits access to the interior of the package. In the unopened configuration the flange seal between the flanges is spaced from the pleat. A reclosure flap is formed by at least one of the flanges extending beyond the flange seal.
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a reclosable package prior to use; -
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 1 after the flange is opened; -
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 1 after opening the package and after removal of the tear strip; -
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 1 after the package is reclosed; -
FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 3 ; -
FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 4 ; -
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a reclosable package prior to use; -
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 9 after the flange is unfolded; -
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 9 after opening the package and after removal of the tear strip; -
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 9 after the package is reclosed; -
FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 9 ; -
FIG. 14 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 10 ; -
FIG. 15 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 11 ; -
FIG. 16 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 12 ; -
FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a process line used in the manufacture of reclosable packages; -
FIG. 18 is a side cross-sectional view of the process line ofFIG. 17 detailing an optional tape and/or zipper application station; -
FIG. 19 is a schematic view showing a fin sealer station comprising heaters; -
FIG. 20 is a schematic view showing another section of a fin sealer station of comprising rollers; -
FIG. 21 is a plan view of a web material used in another embodiment of a reclosable package; -
FIG. 22 is a front plan view of the reclosable package made with the web material ofFIG. 21 ; -
FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 22 prior to use; -
FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 22 while opening the package; -
FIG. 25 is a perspective view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 22 after opening the package; -
FIG. 26 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 23 ; -
FIG. 27 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 23 after unfolding the reclosure flap but before opening; -
FIG. 28 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 25 ; and -
FIG. 29 is a side cross-sectional view of the reclosable package ofFIG. 25 after the package is reclosed. - A reclosable easy-open flexible package, and in particular a reclosable easy-open flexible package used for packaging cheese, meats, candy and other solid foods, and methods of manufacture, are disclosed herein and illustrated in
FIGS. 1-29 . The reclosable, flexible package has an easy-open tear strip for gaining access to the interior of the package, with an adhesive surface provided for resealing a reclosable flap to the package. - The reclosable, flexible package may be made from a single web of film or from two layers sealed together; typically a single web of film is used and may be wrapped around the food product to be packaged where the side edges of the film are brought together and sealed at the top end of the package. After the side edges are brought together and sealed to each other, an excess flap of film may remain on the package. This flap of film, or fin, may preferably be located on the top of the package and instead of running along the center length of the package, the fin may run along the top length of the package along a lengthwise edge of the package. The fin, or the excess flap of film, may be sealed together with a durable seal, such as a heat seal. A durable fin seal may be desired for hermetically sealing the package and usually the package will not be separated at the fin seal.
- Additionally, the two flaps of film may be of different lengths, such that one flap is longer than the other. This may be done by offsetting the edges of the web slightly when the edges are brought together after being wrapped around the product where the outer edge of one extends beyond the outer edge of the other, instead of matching them up exactly. The fin seal is not positioned at the ends of both edges of film but rather at the edge of one and at an inner point of the other (i.e., spaced some distance away from the edge).
- One of the web panels may contain a tear strip feature that allows for entry into the package interior. As the tear strip is removed, it creates an opening in the package. The fin seal between the two fin flaps is not disturbed during the opening of the package and remains intact The longer portion of the fin flap may be used as a reclosable flap, as will be discussed in detail herein, to cover the package opening and may be held in place by an adhesive surface.
- One embodiment, as shown in
FIGS. 1-8 , comprises aflexible package 10 with a pair of opposing panels, afront wall 14 and aback wall 16. The opposingpanels product 12. Opposite the bottom seal or fold may be a pair offlanges panels panels front wall 14 and theback wall 16 may each have outer edges that may be brought together and sealed, such as with a flange or fin seal, to form theflanges front wall flange 18 may be a continuation of thefront wall 14 and theback wall flange 20 may be a continuation of theback wall 16. The fin, orflanges package 10 and pre-bonded to thepackage 10 prior to initial use, as shown inFIGS. 1 and 5 . Thefront wall flange 18 may be folded over the top portion of thepackage 10 to cover a pleat, or frontwall pinch seal 22, that may contain atear strip 22 c for opening thepackage 10. Thefront wall flange 18 may be secured in place by anadhesive strip 24 until its initial use. Theadhesive strip 24 may be positioned on either a wall panel or a reclosure flap, or both. - As seen in
FIGS. 5-8 , thefront wall flange 18 may extend beyond theback wall flange 20, and in effect beyond the flange seal, or fin seal, thus creating a reclosure flap using thefront wall flange 18. The intersection of theback wall flange 20 and thefront wall flange 18 at the fin seal may be along the same plane as theback wall 16. Therefore, thefront wall 14 extends over the top portion of thepackage 10 until it intersects with theback wall flange 20 and is sealed to theback wall flange 20 via the fin seal in the plane of theback wall 16, thus forming thefront wall flange 18. - A front
wall pinch seal 22, or pleat, may be positioned at about the center of the top portion of thepackage 10 or any other convenient location, and may function as atear strip 22 c used to open thepackage 10, as seen inFIGS. 2 and 6 . The frontwall pinch seal 22 may typically be a part of thefront wall 14 and may be positioned on the top portion of thepackage 10 spaced from the fin seal that joins theflanges wall pinch seal 22 may have afront panel 22 b and aback panel 22 a, with acenter tear line 26 positioned at the middle of the frontwall pinch seal 22 and indicating the tear area where thefront panel 22 b may be separated from theback panel 22 a. Atear strip 22 c along the center of the frontwall pinch seal 22, and between thefront panel 22 b and backpanel 22 a, may be removed by pulling it across the top of the frontwall pinch seal 22 along thetear line 26, seeFIG. 2 . Thetear strip 22 c may be spaced at least about 0.25 inches above thefood product 12 inside, and preferably is spaced from about 0.25 inches to about 1.50 inches above thefood product 12. As thetear strip 22 c is pulled across thetear line 26, it separates theback panel 22 a of the pinch seal from thefront panel 22 b of the pinch seal and creates anopening 30 in the top of thepackage 10 to gain initial access to the interior of thepackage 10. Theopening 30 may be bound by a perimeter formed by the outer edges of theback panel 22 a and thefront panel 22 b. Also, after thetear strip 22 c is opened, thefront wall flange 18 is typically only connected to the package at the fin seal; removing the tear strip separates thefront wall flange 18 from thefront wall 14 portion of thepackage 10. - An adhesion surface may be provided on one of the opposing
wall panels adhesive strip 24 located along thefront wall 14 of thepackage 10, and preferably oriented in a horizontal line across thefront wall 14, but may be in any convenient orientation. Theadhesive strip 24 may comprise double-faced tape where one side of theadhesive strip 24 contains a first adhesive to create a permanent attachment and the opposite side of the strip contains a second adhesive, typically for creating a removable attachment. Alternatively, an adhesive stripe may be coated onto the film, or any other similar adhesion surface may be used. Thefront wall flange 18 may be pre-bonded to theadhesive strip 24, as seen inFIGS. 1 and 5 , prior to its initial use. Once thepackage 10 is to be opened, thefront wall flange 18 may be removed from theadhesive strip 24 by lifting to expose thetear strip 22 c and theadhesive strip 24 surface. - After opening the
package 10, it may be desired to reclose thepackage 10 and store thefood product 12 therein. This may be done by re-folding thefront wall flange 18, or reclosure flap, across the top portion of thepackage 10 to cover theopening 30 and to secure the flap by affixing it to theadhesive strip 24 positioned along thefront wall panel 14, as shown inFIGS. 4 and 8 , similar to how thefront wall flange 18 was pre-bonded to theadhesive strip 24 before use. - Alternatively, the opposite configuration of the
flanges back wall flange 20 may extend past thefront wall flange 18 and theback wall flange 20 may serve as the reclosable flap. All of the other descriptions would remain the same, and the pinch seal would still be located in the front wall panel at the top of thepackage 10. - Another embodiment, as shown in
FIGS. 9-16 , consists of aflexible package 40, where thefin flanges back wall 46 during storage and prior to initial use. Theback wall flange 50 may be the longer of the twoflanges back wall flange 50, or reclosure flap, may be secured in place to theback wall 46 until the first use by anadhesive patch 54 located along theback wall 46, as shown inFIGS. 9 and 13 , or alternatively, on an outer side of the reclosure flap. - The
adhesive patch 54 may be any convenient shape or configuration as long as it is adequate for securing theback wall flange 50 to thepackage 40 until initial use. In this configuration, thefront wall flange 48 may be the shorter of the twoflanges back wall 46 along with theback wall flange 50. Thefront wall flange 46 may be sealed to theback wall flange 50 at or near the outer edge of thefront wall flange 46, and theback wall flange 50 may be sealed to it at a point spaced some distance away from the outer edge of theback wall flange 50. - The front
wall pinch seal 52 may be similar to the frontwall pinch seal 22 of the previous embodiment. The frontwall pinch seal 52, shown inFIGS. 10 and 14 , may be similarly located in the top portion of thefront wall panel 44, spaced from the fin seal and the edge of thefront wall flange 48. The frontwall pinch seal 52 also may have aback panel 52 a of the pinch seal and afront panel 52 b of the pinch seal with acenter tear line 56 positioned at the midpoint of the twopanels front panel 52 b may be separated from theback panel 52 a. Atear strip 52 c may be located along the center of the frontwall pinch seal 52 and between the front andback panels tear strip 52 c may be removed by pulling it across the top of the frontwall pinch seal 52 to create anopening 60 in the package, as shown inFIGS. 11 and 15 . Similarly, thetear strip 52 c may be spaced at least about 0.25 inches above thefood product 42, and preferably is spaced from about 0.25 inches to about 1.50 inches above thefood product 42. - To reclose the
package 40, theback wall flange 50, or reclosure flap, may fold across the top portion of thepackage 40 to cover theopening 60, and may be secured in place to thefront wall 44 by anadhesive strip 58 positioned along thefront wall 44 of thepackage 40, or alternatively, along an inner side of the reclosure flap. Theadhesive strip 58 may be either a tape or coating, as described in the previous embodiment, or any other similar adhesion surface. To keep theadhesive strip 58 intact prior to use, atemporary tape cover 62 may be placed over theadhesive strip 58 to protect theadhesive strip 58 from losing its adhesion strength prior to use. Once it is desired to reseal thepackage 40 after the initial opening, thetape cover 62 may be removed after the first use of thepackage 40 to expose theadhesive strip 58 and to allow attachment of theback wall flange 50, or reclosure flap, to thefront panel 44. - Another embodiment of a
flexible package 70 is illustrated inFIGS. 21-29 , and may contain front andback wall flanges panels flanges package 70 may be in a folded over configuration, as inFIGS. 23 and 26 . Preferably, theflanges package 70 and pre-bonded to thepackage 70 prior to initial use, as shown inFIGS. 23 and 26 . Thefront wall flange 78 together with theback wall flange 80 may be folded over the top portion of thepackage 70 to cover the top portion of thepackage 70 and may be secured in place by anadhesive strip 96 until its initial use. Theadhesive strip 96 may be positioned on either a wall panel or a reclosure flap, or both. This design can eliminate the need for a tape cover to protect theadhesive strip 96 since the flange/reclosure flap is placed over theadhesive strip 96 before use. Thefront wall flange 78 andback wall flange 80 may be about equally aligned and the top seal may be positioned at an outer edge of theflanges FIGS. 22 and 27 . The tear strip may be incorporated into theflanges flanges package 70 and to create anopening 94. Theflanges flanges package 70. - The tear lines 88 and 90 along the
flanges front tear line 88 may be located on thefront wall flange 78 and may be a substantially linear tear line extending between the pair of side walls and positioned between the bottom and top seal, as shown inFIG. 22 , and may be at a lower elevation than theback tear line 90. Theback tear line 90 may be located on theback wall flange 80 and may be a non-linear line, or curve, as can be seen inFIG. 22 viewed from theback wall flange 80, and also extending between the pair of side seals and positioned between the bottom and top seals. The majority of theback tear line 90 is positioned at a higher elevation than thefront tear line 88 such that theback tear line 90 has an end portion adjacent each of the side seals and a central portion spaced further from the bottom seal of the package than the end portions. Theback tear line 90 may partially overlap thefront tear line 88 at a position adjacent the side seals. Theback tear line 90 begins at a position just below thefront tear line 88, and may then slope upwards towards the top of the fin seal and may become linear until it reaches the opposite side seal where it may slope downward, intersecting the other side of thefront tear line 88 and ending at a point just below it. - A
flat film 68 used to create this type of package is shown inFIG. 21 , with tear lines scored into theflat film 68 to enable a continuous packaging process. During the packaging process, thefilm 68 may wrap around the product such that theback tear line 90 partially overlaps thefront tear line 88 as thefilm 68 is folded up around the product and the outer edges are aligned. Theback tear line 90 is scored into theflat film 68 as a continuous line such that there is a series of peaks and valleys scored across thefilm 68 for packaging a series of products one after the other. Therefore, theback tear line 90 is etched into thefilm 68 as a series of peaks and valleys where from the midpoint of one of the valleys to the midpoint of the next defines the length of asingle package 70. - To gain access to the interior of the
package 70, the user may tear along the tear lines 88 and 90 starting at an edge of thepackage 70 which may contain a tear notch. The tear lines 88 and 90 both may originate from this same tear notch at a tear initiation point. Aremovable shroud 82 containing a portion of theback wall flange 80 and a portion of thefront wall flange 78 may be torn off in a predictable pattern following the tear lines 88 and 90, as shown inFIGS. 24 and 28 . Once theremovable shroud 82 is torn off thepackage 70, anopening 94 may be revealed with access provided to the interior of theflexible package 70, as shown inFIG. 25 . After tearing off theremovable shroud 82 theflanges back wall flange 80 may extend past thefront wall flange 78 due to the way the tear lines 88 and 90 are positioned (i.e., theback wall flange 80 contains the non-linear tear line positioned at a higher elevation than the linear tear line of the front wall flange 78), thus creating a reclosure flap out of theback wall flange 80 when theremovable shroud 82 is torn off. Theremovable shroud 82 may contain a portion of the fin seal, where theflanges removable shroud 82 may have aback shroud wall 86 that may be a shorter length than afront shroud wall 84, as shown inFIG. 28 . - When the
package 70 is to be resealed, theback wall flange 80 may be used to cover theopening 94 by folding it across the top portion of thepackage 70 and over theopening 94. Anadhesive strip 96 on thefront wall 74 may be used to secure theback wall flange 80, or reclosure flap, to thefront wall 74 upon contact, or alternatively, theadhesive strip 96 may be along an inner surface of the reclosure flap. Theadhesive strip 96 may be a tape, a coating, or any other similar adhesion surface. Optionally, there may be a tape cover over theadhesive strip 96 to protect it until initial use, where the reclosure flap is not in the folded over position initially and theadhesive strip 96 is exposed, as explained in the previous embodiment. - Once the
back wall flange 80 is folded down over theopening 94, it becomes the outermost top surface of the package and thefront wall flange 78 is located underneath it, along the inside of theback wall flange 80 and next to thetop opening 94 of thepackage 70, as seen inFIG. 29 . - The above features may be varied slightly and still describe the same basic package. For example, where it is described above that a back wall flange is longer than a front wall flange and serves as a reclosure flap, the opposite may also be true where the front wall flange can be longer and thus serve as the reclosure flap.
- Turning to the method of manufacture, as shown in
FIGS. 17-20 , a process equipment line can be used for making the resealable, flexible packages discussed above. Apackaging machine 100 is shown for making the resealable,flexible packages 118, as shown inFIG. 17 . Theequipment 100 may have aninfeed conveyor 102 for transportingfood 104 in a machine direction to a conveyor for a web offilm 108 where it is placed on thefilm 108. Thefilm 108 may be contained on afilm roll 106 and as it unwinds thefilm 108 is carried along a conveyor that also may advance in a machine direction. Thefilm 108 may preferably be fed from beneath theinfeed conveyor 102 initially and where it joins thefood product 104 it can advance in a machine direction together with thefood 104. After thefood 104 is conveyed onto thefilm 108, the two advance together in a machine direction where they pass a formingstation 110, and where a formingplow 112 folds up the longitudinal edges of thefilm 108 thus wrapping it around thefood product 104 so that thefood product 104 is encompassed between the film edges. The food and folded up film continue to advance in a machine direction between rollers and/or heaters located within thefin sealer section 114 of themachine 100, which further aids in the folding of the edges offilm 108. The loose ends, or opposing longitudinal edge portions, of thefilm 108 that were folded up may form a fin, which is sealed by thefin sealer section 114 and then continues to advance in a machine direction to an end cutter andtransverse sealer section 116. At the end cutter andtransverse sealer section 116, a pair of transverse seals, such as end seals, can be made and the packages can be cut apart from the remainder of the web to form the final sealedpackage 118. If the fin seal is to be provided in a folded down orientation, the newly formed fin seal may be folded down to cover an adhesive on the package as it enters the transverse (i.e., end)sealer section 116. - An
optional conveyor 120, shown atFIG. 17 , may be used to incorporate azipper system 122 and/or atear strip 124 with the web offilm 108 prior to advancing through thepackaging machine 100. Thefilm 108 may be diverted to the zipper/tear strip station 120 as it unwinds from thefilm roll 106 and may pass through theequipment 120 to apply the zipper and/or tear strip to thefilm 108. After sealing the zipper and/or tear strip to thefilm 108, thefilm 108 is redirected back into thepackaging machine 100. - Another embodiment of the
packaging machine 100 may include the addition of an adhesive reclose system, as shown inFIG. 18 . Here the adhesive tape is applied to the film to be used with the reclose feature. As thefilm 108 unwinds from thefilm roll 106 it may advance past atape roll 140 that may apply a double-faced tape to the outside of thefilm 108. A similar system may also be used to apply the tear strip if desired. It may also be possible to use pre-coated film that already contains an adhesive. - Alternatively, the adhesive strip may be coated onto the package after it passes through the
fin sealer section 114, as shown inFIGS. 19 and 20 . After thefilm 108 passes by the formingplow 112 it enters thefin sealer section 114 where the fins or flanges are first sealed and then may subsequently receive an application of adhesive. Forming the fin seal comprises two steps, a heat step followed by a seal step. The first step, the heat step, is shown inFIG. 19 where the film that is wrapped around the food product passes between tworadiant heaters 130. The fin seal may be offset from the centerline of the package such that the fin seal and fin flanges are positioned at an outer, or peripheral, edge of the package to form an offset fin flange. The offset fin is positioned at the outer edge after it is folded up around thefood product 104 and after passing the formingplow 112. As the film passes between theradiant heaters 130, theheaters 130 heat the film so that it becomes hot enough to bond together. Theheaters 130 further do not touch the film as it passes between them, but are positioned close enough to the film that theheaters 130 provide sufficient heat to the film material without touching it. After passing between theradiant heaters 130, the second step comprises passing the film between two crimpingwheels wheels slot die 142. The fin seal is folded over and onto the adhesive section at the end cutter andtransverse sealer section 116, such that the adhesive is not exposed once the package is complete. Although specific examples of methods of manufacturing packages are discussed, other methods that result in the disclosed packages may be used. - From the foregoing, it will be appreciated a resealable, flexible package is provided that allows for storing food inside and further provides an easy open package with a reclosable flap that affixes to an adhesive surface of the package to provide for storing of the food product therein. However, the disclosure is not limited to the aspects and embodiments described hereinabove, or to any particular embodiments. Various modifications to the resealable, flexible package and methods of assembling can result in substantially the same package.
Claims (20)
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US11/615,605 US20080152264A1 (en) | 2006-12-22 | 2006-12-22 | Flexible easy-open package with reclosable feature |
CA002599227A CA2599227A1 (en) | 2006-12-22 | 2007-08-29 | Flexible easy-open package with reclosable feature |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US11/615,605 US20080152264A1 (en) | 2006-12-22 | 2006-12-22 | Flexible easy-open package with reclosable feature |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20080152264A1 true US20080152264A1 (en) | 2008-06-26 |
Family
ID=39542916
Family Applications (1)
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US11/615,605 Abandoned US20080152264A1 (en) | 2006-12-22 | 2006-12-22 | Flexible easy-open package with reclosable feature |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US20080152264A1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2599227A1 (en) |
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WO2010026142A1 (en) * | 2008-09-03 | 2010-03-11 | Novartis Ag | Pouch |
US7681732B2 (en) | 2008-01-11 | 2010-03-23 | Cryovac, Inc. | Laminated lidstock |
US20100078351A1 (en) * | 2006-06-13 | 2010-04-01 | Sherrill Ronald N | Incontinence Management System and Method Employed |
US7963413B2 (en) | 2006-05-23 | 2011-06-21 | Kraft Foods Global Brands Llc | Tamper evident resealable closure |
ITMI20101088A1 (en) * | 2010-06-16 | 2011-12-17 | Joeplast S P A | ENCLOSURE OF MATERIAL IN FILM FOR THE PACKAGING OF ACCESSIBLE PRODUCTS THROUGH AN OPENING COVERED BY AN INTEGRAL ENCLOSURE, AND ITS MANUFACTURING METHOD |
US8114451B2 (en) | 2006-12-27 | 2012-02-14 | Kraft Foods Global Brands Llc | Resealable closure with package integrity feature |
US8408792B2 (en) | 2007-03-30 | 2013-04-02 | Kraft Foods Global Brands Llc | Package integrity indicating closure |
US20130129262A1 (en) * | 2011-11-18 | 2013-05-23 | Daniel J. Penn | Flexible vase |
US20130126388A1 (en) * | 2011-11-23 | 2013-05-23 | Anne Hannahan | Medical product package assembly |
GB2499258A (en) * | 2012-02-13 | 2013-08-14 | British American Tobacco Co | Various Wrappers with Tear Strips for Multiple Containers |
US20130308883A1 (en) * | 2012-05-15 | 2013-11-21 | Automated Packaging Systems | Reclosable bag and methods of forming and using same |
US8722122B2 (en) | 2006-05-23 | 2014-05-13 | Intercontinental Great Brands Llc | Package integrity indicator for container closure |
US8800250B2 (en) | 2011-02-16 | 2014-08-12 | Cryovac, Inc. | Easy open and reclosable package with discrete laminate, with die-cut, anchored to second side panel |
WO2014150442A1 (en) * | 2013-03-15 | 2014-09-25 | Mars, Incorporated | Easy-to-open, resealable food product packaging, systems and methods |
US8905638B2 (en) | 2011-02-16 | 2014-12-09 | Cryovac, Inc. | Easy open and reclosable package with die-cut web, and discrete strip anchored to second side panel |
US9150342B2 (en) | 2003-04-16 | 2015-10-06 | Intercontinental Great Brands Llc | Resealable tray container |
US9205967B2 (en) | 2010-01-26 | 2015-12-08 | Generale Biscuit | Resealable packaging for food products and method of manufacturing |
US9211976B2 (en) | 2011-02-16 | 2015-12-15 | Andrew W. Moehlenbrock | Easy open and reclosable package with discrete laminate, with die-cut, anchored to second side panel |
US9221590B2 (en) | 2010-03-23 | 2015-12-29 | Generale Biscuit | Resealable packaging for food products and method of manufacturing |
WO2016003688A3 (en) * | 2014-06-30 | 2016-03-03 | Printpack Illinois, Inc. | Easy-open and reclosable flow wrap package, corresponding flexible film and methods for fabrication of the package and the film |
CN105473459A (en) * | 2013-08-30 | 2016-04-06 | 金伯利-克拉克环球有限公司 | Tamper resistant package and methods of making same |
US20160122084A1 (en) * | 2014-10-31 | 2016-05-05 | Papier-Mettler Kg | Delivery bag |
US9630761B2 (en) | 2008-10-20 | 2017-04-25 | Mondelez UK Holding & Services Limited | Packaging |
US9656783B2 (en) | 2010-05-18 | 2017-05-23 | Intercontinental Great Brands Llc | Reclosable flexible packaging and methods for manufacturing same |
US9688442B2 (en) | 2011-03-17 | 2017-06-27 | Intercontinental Great Brands Llc | Reclosable flexible film packaging products and methods of manufacture |
US9708104B2 (en) | 2010-05-18 | 2017-07-18 | Intercontinental Great Brands Llc | Reclosable flexible packaging and methods for manufacturing same |
US20170239915A1 (en) * | 2014-09-29 | 2017-08-24 | Bemis Company, Inc. | Peelable Coupon Containing Printable Water-Based Acrylic Pressure Sensitive Adhesive |
US20170246057A1 (en) * | 2014-08-04 | 2017-08-31 | Grupo P.I. Mabe, S.A.De C.V. | Bag for packing disposable hygiene items |
USD801803S1 (en) | 2016-06-29 | 2017-11-07 | Altria Client Services Llc | Re-closeable tear open pack |
US10017310B2 (en) | 2014-08-14 | 2018-07-10 | Intercontinental Great Brands Llc | Packages having separable sealing features and methods of manufacturing |
JP2018531183A (en) * | 2015-10-06 | 2018-10-25 | ザ プロクター アンド ギャンブル カンパニー | Flexible box bag with soluble unit dose detergent pouch |
US10118741B2 (en) | 2008-07-24 | 2018-11-06 | Deborah Lyzenga | Package integrity indicating closure |
US10124946B2 (en) | 2013-02-15 | 2018-11-13 | Intercontinental Great Brands Llc | Packages having separable sealing features and methods of manufacturing |
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US10407208B2 (en) | 2016-06-29 | 2019-09-10 | Altria Client Services Llc | Re-closeable tear open pack, a blank for forming the pack, and a method of making the pack |
US11083219B2 (en) * | 2016-07-04 | 2021-08-10 | Philip Morris Products S.A. | Collapsible tobacco container |
US20210316943A1 (en) * | 2020-04-09 | 2021-10-14 | Mettler Packaging LLC | Bag, in particular plastics bag, for used coffee capsules, method for collecting and recycling used coffee capsules and use of such bags for collection and shipping of used coffee capsules |
WO2024036042A1 (en) * | 2022-08-11 | 2024-02-15 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Flexible reclosable enclosure with flap |
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US9150342B2 (en) | 2003-04-16 | 2015-10-06 | Intercontinental Great Brands Llc | Resealable tray container |
US8722122B2 (en) | 2006-05-23 | 2014-05-13 | Intercontinental Great Brands Llc | Package integrity indicator for container closure |
US9663282B2 (en) | 2006-05-23 | 2017-05-30 | International Great Rapids LLC | Package integrity indicator for container closure |
US8951591B2 (en) | 2006-05-23 | 2015-02-10 | Intercontinental Great Brands Llc | Package integrity indicator for container closure |
US7963413B2 (en) | 2006-05-23 | 2011-06-21 | Kraft Foods Global Brands Llc | Tamper evident resealable closure |
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US8889205B2 (en) | 2006-12-27 | 2014-11-18 | Intercontinental Great Brands Llc | Resealable closure with package integrity feature |
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US9187228B2 (en) | 2007-03-30 | 2015-11-17 | Intercontinental Great Brands Llc | Package integrity indicating closure |
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US9919855B2 (en) | 2007-03-30 | 2018-03-20 | Intercontinental Great Brands Llc | Package integrity indicating closure |
US10829285B2 (en) | 2007-03-30 | 2020-11-10 | Intercontinental Great Brands Llc | Package integrity indicating closure |
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US11027892B2 (en) * | 2008-07-24 | 2021-06-08 | Deborah Lyzenga | Package integrity indicating closure |
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US9688442B2 (en) | 2011-03-17 | 2017-06-27 | Intercontinental Great Brands Llc | Reclosable flexible film packaging products and methods of manufacture |
US20130129262A1 (en) * | 2011-11-18 | 2013-05-23 | Daniel J. Penn | Flexible vase |
US20130126388A1 (en) * | 2011-11-23 | 2013-05-23 | Anne Hannahan | Medical product package assembly |
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US20130308883A1 (en) * | 2012-05-15 | 2013-11-21 | Automated Packaging Systems | Reclosable bag and methods of forming and using same |
US10611540B2 (en) | 2013-02-15 | 2020-04-07 | Intercontinental Great Brands Llc | Packages having separable sealing features and methods of manufacturing |
US10124946B2 (en) | 2013-02-15 | 2018-11-13 | Intercontinental Great Brands Llc | Packages having separable sealing features and methods of manufacturing |
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JP2018531183A (en) * | 2015-10-06 | 2018-10-25 | ザ プロクター アンド ギャンブル カンパニー | Flexible box bag with soluble unit dose detergent pouch |
USD850905S1 (en) | 2016-06-29 | 2019-06-11 | Altria Client Services Llc | Re-closeable tear open pack |
US10407208B2 (en) | 2016-06-29 | 2019-09-10 | Altria Client Services Llc | Re-closeable tear open pack, a blank for forming the pack, and a method of making the pack |
USD801803S1 (en) | 2016-06-29 | 2017-11-07 | Altria Client Services Llc | Re-closeable tear open pack |
US11083219B2 (en) * | 2016-07-04 | 2021-08-10 | Philip Morris Products S.A. | Collapsible tobacco container |
WO2019078830A1 (en) * | 2017-10-17 | 2019-04-25 | Ips Industries, Inc. | Reusable tamper-evident bag |
US20210316943A1 (en) * | 2020-04-09 | 2021-10-14 | Mettler Packaging LLC | Bag, in particular plastics bag, for used coffee capsules, method for collecting and recycling used coffee capsules and use of such bags for collection and shipping of used coffee capsules |
WO2024036042A1 (en) * | 2022-08-11 | 2024-02-15 | Illinois Tool Works Inc. | Flexible reclosable enclosure with flap |
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